Edge Early Learning Edmonton named Outstanding Early Childhood Centre at the 2026 Cairns and Regions Local Business Awards

We’re excited to share that Edge Early Learning Edmonton has won the 2026 Cairns and Regions Local Business Award for Outstanding Early Childhood Centre, a wonderful recognition of an Edmonton childcare and kindergarten centre that has grown into something truly special in just two years.

The Local Business Awards celebrate the businesses that families and communities value most, with winners decided by the people who know them best. To take home Outstanding Early Childhood Centre for a service that only opened its doors in June 2024 is a testament to the team, the families, and the community that have grown up around Edge Edmonton.

Two years of building an Edmonton childcare centre families trust

Edge Edmonton was purpose-built by Edge Early Learning and opened in June 2024 to meet a growing need for quality daycare in Edmonton and early childhood education across the southern Cairns corridor. Situated on Walker Road, across from the Southside Comets Football Club and just 900 metres from Isabella State School, the centre was designed to be genuinely convenient for the families it serves across Edmonton, Mount Peter, Bentley Park, Wrights Creek, and Mount Sheridan.

Centre Director Tanya has been there since day one, growing the team from just five people on opening day to 23 educators and staff today, a team that brings a collective 98 years of experience in early learning. That stability is something families feel every single day.

What makes this Edmonton daycare and kindergarten different

At the heart of the centre is our exclusive Teach A Rainbow education program, delivering personalised, play-based and inquiry-led learning across 11 Key Learning Areas, from STEM and literacy to sustainability, community and culture, and Indigenous perspectives. Our pre-kindy educator Dakota was recently named one of just four winners across the entire Edge network for the outstanding way she brings Teach A Rainbow to life for her children.

The centre’s program is genuinely inclusive by design. Auslan sign language is used across most rooms to support children with speech delays, Indonesian language lessons run across the centre, and a cultural leader brings Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives into children’s everyday experiences.

There’s plenty to spark curiosity, too. Every fortnight, children aged three to five cook alongside our qualified chef, Dimitri, in the Kids in the Kitchen program, building confidence and a love of good food. Dedicated art atelier rooms give children space for creative expression, and our Edmonton kindergarten program, delivered by our university-qualified Early Childhood Teacher and approved for Queensland Free Kindy funding, sets children up for a confident start to school.

Edge Edmonton was also part of Edge’s landmark partnership with Life Ed Queensland, making Edge the first early learning provider in the state to bring Harold’s Little Learners into a full-year, curriculum-aligned learning journey.

Families at the centre of everything

Ask the families what sets Edge Edmonton apart, and the answer is always the same: they feel known. Communication is consistent and meaningful, weekly learning highlights via Storypark, monthly learning snapshots, twice-yearly summative assessments, and face-to-face conversations whenever a family needs them.

One family, whose daughter had attended five childcare centres across Sydney, India, and Brazil, called Edge Edmonton “without question, the best experience we’ve had.” Another wrote simply: “We feel seen and valued as a family.” When a family moved to Gordonvale and chose to keep driving to Edge Edmonton every day rather than change centres, it said everything about the loyalty this team earns.

Behind every one of those stories is a director who knows every family by name, a chef who remembers every allergy, and educators who notice the little things.

Woven into the Edmonton community

Being part of the community is at the core of how Edge Edmonton operates. The team runs a community stall at Isabella State School’s Under 8s Day, attends KindyLinQ Playgroup each term to build relationships with families before they even enrol, and welcomes occupational therapists, speech pathologists, and inclusion support professionals into the centre so children receive consistent support in a familiar environment.

The centre also sponsors the local Cairns South Soccer Club, has welcomed the fire brigade and local police for visits, and hosted the Federal Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter, to deliver Australian flags to the children. Its Sea of Hearts community challenge brought local businesses together in a shared act of connection that families still talk about.

Sustainability runs through it all. Children tend a worm farm, flower beds, and vegetable pots, harvesting herbs and produce that go straight into the kitchen, while the centre runs on solar energy and provides sustainable nappies as standard. Edge Edmonton has also earned Cancer Council SunSafe Centre recognition for its sun-safe practices.

Looking ahead

Being named the region’s Outstanding Early Childhood Centre belongs to everyone who has been part of the Edge Edmonton story, the educators, the families, and the wider community. Looking ahead, the team is preparing to launch a Bush Kindy program, deepening children’s connection to the natural environment and building on the sustainability values already embedded in daily life at the centre.

We want Edge Edmonton to be known as the place where children walk in excited every single day, where families feel seen and valued, and where the team takes the time to remember the little things that make every child feel truly known. This recognition tells us we’re well on our way.

Looking for daycare or kindergarten in Edmonton? Come and see our award-winning centre for yourself. Book a tour and meet the team at Edge Early Learning Edmonton.